Ackchickens
In the Brooder
- Mar 30, 2015
- 30
- 1
- 34
I guess I would say pullets, rather than chicks? Mine are about 9 weeks and have been out in the coop for a couple weeks. I have two questions, the first, is about roosting. They all sleep together in one nest box. What do I do? They are of course completely feathered and it hasn't gotten down below 50 any night they have been out there. Can I just expect they will figure it out on their own?
They put themselves in at dusk and we go out and put the waterer and feeder back in the coop and shut the door. I have two vents at the top of the coop, on the east and west side. I have them both open like an inch at night. Could that be why they are huddling and not roosting? I was just worried about ventilation. Is just having the door open all day enough ventilation (especially in the spring)? I really hope I didn't screw them all up!!!
Next is about cleaning the coop. I have shavings on the floor of the coop and in the nest boxes, (where they sleep). There isn't much poop on ground of the coop, they spend all day outside in the run. And you can tell they prefer to sleep in only one of the nest boxes, because the others are completely clean. How do you clean out the shavings? Is there an easier way than cleaning out the whole thing? I have been putting fresh shavings over the next boxes every day and then emptying out the whole coop and nest boxes like once a week. The coop is small and the shavings are pretty cheap, but it seems like a lot and could get costly. There is no smell at all, everything is dry. It seems like I'm throwing away a lot of perfectly fine shavings, just because I can't sift through it. (This is a for now coop as it is too small and will be building another coop soon, where I plan on having sand/sweet pdz on the floor of the coop, pdz in the poop trays and straw in the nesting boxes.) But until then, I 'd love some help.
Thank you in advance for any help.
They put themselves in at dusk and we go out and put the waterer and feeder back in the coop and shut the door. I have two vents at the top of the coop, on the east and west side. I have them both open like an inch at night. Could that be why they are huddling and not roosting? I was just worried about ventilation. Is just having the door open all day enough ventilation (especially in the spring)? I really hope I didn't screw them all up!!!
Next is about cleaning the coop. I have shavings on the floor of the coop and in the nest boxes, (where they sleep). There isn't much poop on ground of the coop, they spend all day outside in the run. And you can tell they prefer to sleep in only one of the nest boxes, because the others are completely clean. How do you clean out the shavings? Is there an easier way than cleaning out the whole thing? I have been putting fresh shavings over the next boxes every day and then emptying out the whole coop and nest boxes like once a week. The coop is small and the shavings are pretty cheap, but it seems like a lot and could get costly. There is no smell at all, everything is dry. It seems like I'm throwing away a lot of perfectly fine shavings, just because I can't sift through it. (This is a for now coop as it is too small and will be building another coop soon, where I plan on having sand/sweet pdz on the floor of the coop, pdz in the poop trays and straw in the nesting boxes.) But until then, I 'd love some help.
Thank you in advance for any help.